Something to Do With a Bet
by sycoticatalyst
Summary: -AU- Hermione comes back from her summer vacation in the Caribbean.. to find that she's the pawn in a bet she was never aware of. Resignedly letting her fellow Gryffindors give her a magical makeover, she attempts to change the bet.. M for sexual content
1. Just a Stupid Game

Something to Do With a Bet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K.Rowling is a genius.

* * *

Chapter One: _Just a Stupid Game_

Hermione Granger smiled as she walked through the King's Cross station. Summer had been fun, but Hermione couldn't wait to see her best friends after more than two months apart. After she received that last letter from Ron, she knew that she was friends with the two most caring people in the world. Sure, she knew she studied a lot, but when her best friends had to tell her to get some sunlight in the Caribbean... She sighed. After that letter, she had dropped all her schoolwork and immediately went to a museum, then she went scuba diving with her parents. Of course, she finished her homework the next day, and spent the rest of her vacation mostly in the shade, finding out as much as she could about the Caribbean...

Hermione glanced at her watch; it was quarter to eleven. Brushing an irritating piece of hair away from her eyes she gripped the handles of her luggage trolley firmly and walked resolutely through the barrier. She stepped out onto Platform 9¾ and was greeted by the usual throng of students and parents, oddly a lot of them appeared to be staring openly at her. She frowned and looked around at the gaping witches and wizards. "What?" she asked, confused. A few people shook their heads and walked away or boarded the train; others just turned back to their parents or conversations. Hermione blinked, _Okay, that was strange_, she thought casting another suspicious glance around. She spotted a shock of messy black hair beside a red head and pushed over towards them.

She brought her trolley to a halt beside them. Harry and Ron were still gaping. "What is it?" she asked, exasperated. "Is my hair sticking up? Do I have something on my face? Did I forget to put clothes on?" she asked sarcastically.

The two shook their heads, looking suddenly shifty. "Hermione…" started Ron, hesitantly, "…you know we love you, right? No matter what?" Confused, Hermione nodded warily.

"Well..." Ron began again, shooting an imploring look at Harry who continued,

"What he's trying to say, Hermione, is that everyone thought you'd be... Well… _hot_ this year," he stated. He looked Hermione up and down and sighed inwardly. She was slim but had no figure to speak of, and if she did, it was always hidden beneath her robes. Her hair was still frizzy, and a bland mousy brown. Her eyes were pretty, he mused, but she always had bags under them from staying up late to read or do spontaneous experiments or projects. She was.... Well, she was still the same old Hermione that he had known since first year.

Hermione crossed her arms, rolling her eyes and scoffing in the process. "Why would they think that I would suddenly be interested in my appearances this year?" She demanded looking at Harry, she didn't notice Ron blushing guiltily and looking very uncomfortable.

Harry shrugged and Ron cleared his throat, seeming to have suddenly choked on something. Hermione glanced over at him looking mildly concerned,

"Are you alright?" He nodded dumbly and Hermione smiled. "Good. Well, we should get on the train now. We don't want to have to share a compartment with... Oh, hi, Luna!"

Several minutes later, they boarded the train and found a compartment, where they settled with Luna and were joined by Ginny and Neville. The beginning of the train ride passed quickly and uneventfully, with the usual eating and exchanging of summer news. Ron and Harry relaying their antics at the Burrow with input from Ginny, Hermione filling them in on her 'fascinatingly educational' trip to the Caribbean and Neville telling them all about one of his Grandmother's new cats. Fifteen minutes or so into the journey though, the light mood was broken by the inevitable entrance of Draco Malfoy, he opened the door to the compartment and smirked around at the occupants.

His gaze came to rest on Hermione and his smirk twisted into a sly grin as his eyes raked her up and down, "So it's true then. She _did_--"

"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron blurted, a deep crimson red staining his face.

"Wait, I did _what_ now?" Hermione asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes and staring at Malfoy then Ron then Harry who was behaving very oddly, and instead of jumping at Malfoy's throat, examining the bottom of his sweet packet.

Malfoy's grin widened. "Why, Weasley, seems you forgot to inform your girlfriend of the--"

"I SAID SHUT IT!" Ron yelled, jumping up from his seat frenziedly.

Malfoy laughed silkily, "Well, Weasley, you owe me a--"

"Later. Out, NOW." Ron hissed through gritted teeth. Still laughing, Malfoy turned and walked out, closing the door to the compartment softly behind him. His mission indeed had succeeded.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Hermione rounded on Ron.

"What was that about?" She demanded.

Ron flushed. "Er... I dunno... Malfoy's just being a prat as usual…"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him imperiously, "No, Ron, you're hiding something from me! Tell me, _now_!" she took a meaningful step towards him and he flinched then let out a defeated sigh.

Shooting a worried glance to Harry he sat back down and began mumbling, "Well, see, I was patrolling the halls one day last year, and I ran into the overstuffed ferret -- Malfoy, sorry. Well, in the obligatory Gryffindor Slytherin banter that followed, he…uh…he said something along the lines of... If you were hot, he would... Err..." Ron paused and seemed to be searching for words, "…_do_ you, just to say he... fucked the innocent little Gryffindor, to quote him exactly…" Ron glanced up and saw Hermione's furious face and continued quickly.

"So I defended you! I said that you wouldn't fuck him in a million years, even if you were hot." He paused again, and threw another look at Harry who gave him a meaningful stare back. Hermione caught it.

"What else?" She demanded angrily. Ron took a deep breath,

"So.... He bet me that you wouldn't be able to stay away from him next year... So I agreed to make you hot, and our bet spread around school, with the exception of you. But then you went on that vacation with your parents, and I guess you didn't follow my advice to get a tan and fix up your hair while in the Caribbean."

Hermione glared at him furiously. "Ron! What the hell were you thinking?" She screeched. Harry gulped and stared out of the window, and Ron cowered and stuttered. Hermione threw herself into her seat and rolled her eyes. _Great, just what I need, to be a pawn in some stupid bet._ "What did you bet?" She asked sharply,

"Err... Well.... If he doesn't succeed, he has to live as a Muggle for a whole week in the summer... And if he does... err... _do_ you... Then I have to be his personal slave for a week."

"And is the bet still on despite my _ugliness_?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Well.... Yes. For now. If we don't make you hot before your first class with Malfoy, though, I lose... So we need to start working on you. Right now," Ron added, hesitantly.

Hermione bit her lip to keep down her anger then sighed. The look on Ron's face was one so petrified of being Malfoy's slave it looked as though he might snap at any minute. _It would serve him right, for using me in some stupid rivalry bet. _She thought angrily, _but then again, I'd never sleep with Malfoy, and having him as a Muggle _would_ be hilarious_…

"Alright, Ron, I'll play along with your stupid game.. But I don't want _you_ performing any spells on me. Merlin knows what would happen...." she shuddered dramatically at the thought and Harry smirked.

"Great! Ginny, you work on her hair, get it straight… And whatever you girls do to hair...." Ron said, making vague gestures with his hands at Hermione's head. Ginny grinned and pulled out her wand,

"I know just the spell, I got it out of Teen Witch, its brilliant, hold still…" she pointed her wand at Hermione's head and said clearly, "_Levo crines_"

Hermione's hair fell down into soft, sleekness.

"Wow!" Harry and Ron chorused.

Hermione raised a hand to touch it… it felt silky. She turned to Ginny with an eyebrow raised, reluctantly impressed. Then she felt an odd sensation on her hair, and heard a quiet 'poof'.

Ginny's face that had been wearing a look of smugness suddenly fell. Hermione gingerly raised her fingers to touch her hair again and then came into contact with the frizz she knew so well.

"Ah well… perhaps we'll need something… stronger…" Ginny said tentatively.

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A/N: That's all for now. Don't worry, I have about 6 more pages of this so far (a total of 4062 words including this chapter) and I'll try to work harder to complete this. It's been my goal for a while, but I haven't written much in a few months, so I'm gonna upload it and hope for some good, inspiring reviews. Be inspiring! My Muses await your suggestions. Except that none of you know what's going on so far.... Damn. Oh well.


	2. Unfrizzed Past the Frizz Point

Something to Do With a Bet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K.Rowling is a genius.

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"Levo crines" 

Hermione's hair fell down into soft, sleekness.

"Wow!" Harry and Ron chorused.

Hermione raised a hand to touch it… it felt silky. She turned to Ginny with an eyebrow raised, reluctantly impressed. Then she felt an odd sensation on her hair, and heard a quiet 'poof'.

Ginny's face that had been wearing a look of smugness suddenly fell. Hermione gingerly raised her fingers to touch her hair again and then came into contact with the frizz she knew so well.

"Ah well… perhaps we'll need something… stronger…" Ginny said tentatively.

* * *

Chapter Two: _Unfrizzed Past the Frizz Point_

Hours later, Hermione was still nowhere near hot, but her hair was starting to look a bit straighter thanks to about twenty consecutive spells from Ginny. Harry had charmed Hermione's robes to cling to her body, so that it almost looked as if she had curves. Everyone commended him on his attempt, it was better than before – and that was something. Ron approached with his wand outstretched to try and change Hermione's eye colour, but she shot him a deadly glare and he backed away, promising to sit and watch.

However, Hermione did let Neville magically give her a manicure. He had apparently done it many times for his grandmother, and the manicure did a lot of good. Luna sat in the corner, reading the Quibbler and occasionally showing them pictures of witch models. Of course, none of them were terribly good-looking, but as they were prettier than Hermione, they proved to be very useful.

The changes hadn't made a dramatic difference, but she had definitely been improved. Not that anyone would notice the improvement, of course, but they still had a ways to go before she could even be remotely hot. As they left the train Ginny reassured a slightly panicky Ron that she'd be able to get better results in better conditions, namely anywhere but a jerky train carriage.

After the Feast, Hermione got ready for another 'Get Hermione Hot' session, which was to be held in the Gryffindor Common Room, where everyone could help. _I can't believe I'm doing this,_ she thought as Gryffindors swarmed around her, pampering and preening. _It's bloody humiliating._ Seamus offered to change her hair colour, having watched his mother change her hair colour several (hundred) times. She was, apparently, not a natural red-head. Hermione reluctantly agreed, and he expertly gave her highlights and lowlights, making sure the colours mixed perfectly to look natural.

So now she had multifaceted brown frizzy hair. _Wonderful. I hope Ginny fixes the frizziness soon...._ Just as Hermione thought that, Ginny let out a shout from her dormitory and ran down to Hermione.

"Found a new spell to get rid of frizziness. It has much larger increments than the other spell I've been using. Let's see how this goes..." She waved her wand while muttering the spell, and Hermione took a deep breath. When she saw Ginny's grin, she reached her hand out to feel her hair. It only frizzed out half a foot now! Ginny repeated the spell, and Hermione felt again. Still a bit frizzy, but much more manageable. She was about to thank Ginny when she heard her say the spell once more. Fearful of what could happen if hair was unfrizzed past its frizz-point, she quickly put her hand to her hair.

No frizz at all?! She ran her fingers through her hair, and found that she was able to do so without getting any of her fingers stuck. Hermione jumped up and grabbed the mirror out of Seamus' hand. _Beautiful!_ she thought. _Or, at least, the hair is..._

"Well, now that the simple part is taken care of, we can work on the rest later. Get some sleep. Those bags are getting hideous."

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was woken by an energetic Ginny bouncing at the foot of her bed. Groaning, Hermione pushed her off. "What do you want, Ginny?" 

Ginny laughed gleefully. "We're gonna start on you early today. We have it from a reliable source that we only have three days until you have a class with Slytherins, and we are forcing you to stay out of Slytherin sight until you're presentable. Now come on, don't bother changing, we'll just transfigure your nightclothes."

Hermione sighed resignedly and got out of her bed. Not a moment later, she found herself being dragged out of the room and down the stairs, where a crowd had already gathered.

The days passed by slowly for Hermione. Her fellow students worked on her appearance twenty-four/seven. When she woke up, she found someone charming her skin; during classes, someone was always behind her, muttering charms to straighten or curl her hair; during lunch, she learned from Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati how to eat seductively. Hermione was slowly, but surely, going out of her mind.

During the process, they had decided to forbid her from going near a mirror. The bathroom mirror was charmed to fog up whenever Hermione came near it, so Hermione could only make out a blurred outline of her body and hair. Her hair, which by now was already perfect, became a way for Hermione to escape everything. While she acted as the lab rat for the Gryffindors, she got into the habit of twirling her now-silky hair around her fingers and thinking about life in general. Mostly, she thought about the bet, her soft hair calming her enough to think about it rationally.

Finally, the day came when Hermione would be allowed to be seen by the Slytherins, and most importantly, herself. Getting up out of her bed early, she quietly went down to the bathroom and took off the fogging charm so she could scrutinize her new self. What she saw amazed her.

Her once-mousy brown hair was now sleek and shiny, and hung in beautiful waves down to the middle of her back. Her hair had once only been to her shoulders and frizzy, but once all that frizz was gone, her hair must have lengthened. _Or they put a charm on my hair to make it grow in my sleep..._ she considered.

Smiling, Hermione ran her hands through her beautiful hair and moved her attention to her face. Her skin was clear and showed a slight tint of bronze, as if she had gotten a tan in the Caribbean. Her eyes, thankfully, were the same colour. However, her bags had disappeared, and her lashes were longer and thicker. Her lips, however, looked swollen. No doubt an idea from Lavender or Parvati to make her lips more attractive. She had read once that men were attracted to lips that looked as if someone had just kissed them...

She lowered her gaze to her nightclothes. Well, they had been transfigured back to regular nightclothes every evening before she went to bed, so they were just a regular extra-large tee-shirt and a pair of shorts. She looked down further and examined her legs. Once pale and splotchy, her legs were now lightly tanned and smooth. Her leg hair must have been charmed off, as she couldn't find a single hair. She moved a hand down to feel along a smooth leg, entranced.

Slowly, Hermione slipped off her shorts and underwear, then pulled her shirt off over her head. Usually, Hermione stayed away from mirrors when changing, but now she was curious. Looking at her naked body in the mirror, she could feel her mouth dry up. Her entire body was lightly tanned, not just her legs and arms. Whoever it was who charmed her skin had done a good job of making sure there would be no 'tan lines'. Turning to see her backside, she wondered briefly if someone had seen her naked and fixed her body by sight, or if they were just excellent with charms. She guessed Ginny had something to do with it, as she was the best with charms (beside herself, of course).

They had succeeded; Hermione was, indeed, hot. Hermione sighed, remembering the circumstances behind making her hot, and began her morning shower. She sighed in relief; every morning since she arrived, she had simply been spelled clean by Ginny, so that they could work on her for those extra thirty minutes instead of letting her relax. She was allowed bathroom breaks, sure, but Ginny usually followed her in to give her tips on how to seduce guys and such.

Half an hour passed, and Hermione was finally done showering. Finally relaxed after almost a week of playing the part of a community doll, Hermione dried herself off in front of the mirror, still not used to being so pretty. Sure, she felt awkward for staring at her naked body, but she was just so amazed that it was her, and not some illusion. The Gryffindors sure did good work when they put their minds to it. Smiling, Hermione put her night clothes back on and went back to her dorm to get ready for the big day. The day she would finally be free to go to breakfast, and the day she would go to Double Potions.

Potions, Hermione had to admit, was her favourite class. She hoped that this year, since it was now NEWT-level Potions and most of the students had been weeded out, Snape might take points away less often. Maybe she could even talk civilly with him, discussing properties of certain plants and potions, and what could be done to improve Polyjuice...

Smiling, Hermione opened the trunk at the foot of her bed to pick out her clothes. As she began pulling out articles of clothing, she realized that someone had already transfigured many of her regular clothes. Sighing, she looked through the clothes and decided on a black form-fitting short-sleeve shirt and regular dark blue jeans. Pulling on her school robe, she noticed it tighten around her waist and groaned. They had thought of everything.

Gathering her books, she went back downstairs to the Common Room to read a bit before breakfast. Not ten minutes passed before people began gathering in the Common Room to prepare for the Big Day. Caught up in her book, she didn't notice when Ginny sat in front of her and began charming her lips with lip gloss that won't rub off, and magically curling her lashes.

When Ginny finished, she cleared her throat, causing Hermione to jump in surprise and drop her book. "Ginny! You scared me!" Hermione bent over and picked up her book from the floor, then put a bookmark in and closed the book.

Ginny smiled. "You ready for breakfast?" At Hermione's nod, Ginny grabbed her hand and dragged her down to the Great Hall. As they walked in, Hermione felt all eyes fall on her. She knew that everyone had been staring at her in all of her classes already, but now it was the entire school.... She blushed and let Ginny lead her to the Gryffindor table.

Hermione ate in silence, not looking at anyone, even her best friends. _Best friends? Hah! Ron uses me for good grades, and now he's using me to get back at Malfoy! Great friend he is..._ Hermione sighed and poked at an egg. Having lost her appetite, she looked over to the Slytherin table and stared at Malfoy until she caught his eyes. After looking towards the doors and then back to him, she got up from her seat and told her friends she'd meet them in the Common Room, then left the Great Hall and waited.

Moments later, Malfoy walked out of the Great Hall and straight to her, a smirk on his pale face. "Lookin' good, Mudblood. I never thought it possible, personally..."

"Stuff it, Malfoy. I don't want to be part of this bet. It's bad enough that my friend is using me to get back at you, but I don't need you trying to have sex with me. We have NEWTs next year, and I want to be prepared," Hermione crossed her arms and glared at Malfoy.

He only laughed. "So, what, you want me to give up and be a Muggle for a day? I don't think so." He turned and began to walk away, when Hermione's voice stopped him.

"No. I want you to make a different deal. Ron doesn't have to know about it. And... Frankly, I don't care which of you loses the bet, as long as I'm not a pawn," she finished, uncrossing her arms and taking a step toward the boy.

He turned back around to face her, and closed the gap between them, another smirk on his face. "I set the terms. Then I'll decide."

"But- but by setting terms, you're agreeing! You can't decide after getting my hopes up!"

Draco only widened his smirk, a malicious gleam in his eyes. "You're dealing with a Slytherin. I can and _will_ do whatever I decide to do. Now-" Draco cut Hermione off as she was about to yell again, "I will discuss my terms with you after Potions. Meet me in the Library before lunch." With that, he turned and walked back into the Great Hall, leaving Hermione standing in shocked silence.

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A/N: Okay, well, that's chapter two. Next chapter should take a while cause I only have part of it finished. Also, while I can't say that **coconutice** was wrong in her/his review, I _can_ say that not everything is as it seems. I'd much prefer that you don't read this if you're going to complain about shallowness and inhumanity. I'd actually much prefer that you go live under a rock, as life is not fluffy with little bunnies hopping around. People are shallow. People aren't humane. People are imperfect, and if you can't deal with that, then don't bother reading this. If you _can_ deal with it, then you get to see the redeeming qualities of people. Thank goodness, eh? Don't get to see that much. 

Anyhow, next chapter should actually include some sexuality, so if you don't want to see it, leave while you still have your virgin eyes.


	3. Pointless Snogging

Something to Do With a Bet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

* * *

"No. I want you to make a different deal. Ron doesn't have to know about it. And... Frankly, I don't care which of you loses the bet, as long as I'm not a pawn," she finished, uncrossing her arms and taking a step toward the boy.

He turned back around to face her, and closed the gap between them, another smirk on his face. "I set the terms. Then I'll decide."

"But- but by setting terms, you're agreeing! You can't decide after getting my hopes up!"

Draco only widened his smirk, a malicious gleam in his eyes. "You're dealing with a Slytherin. I can and will_ do whatever I decide to do. Now-" Draco cut Hermione off as she was about to yell again, "I will discuss my terms with you after Potions. Meet me in the Library before lunch." With that, he turned and walked back into the Great Hall, leaving Hermione standing in shocked silence._

* * *

Chapter Three: _Pointless Snogging_

Hermione got through Potions well enough, needless to say, although she did find it very hard to concentrate. However, she made a perfect potion as always, and after class she went straight to the Library, to 'start working on her potions essay'. Well, it wasn't too far from the truth. While waiting for Malfoy, she picked out a few books that would help her with the topic, and had opened one book and had begun reading it by the time Malfoy showed up.

"Granger," he said, by way of greeting. "Follow me." She rolled her eyes and, closing the book, stood to follow the boy. He led her to a secluded area of the library (it being nearly lunch-time, nearly every place was secluded), then spoke up.

"_If_ I so choose to make this new deal with you, my terms are as follows: you will pretend that I seduced you and fucked you senseless, and I thereby win the bet; you will pretend to be my 'loving' girlfriend, thus angering your precious friends; and you will willingly endure pointless snogging while we put up this act." Draco smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hermione scowled. "So either I endure you trying to get me to let you have sex with me, or I endure snogging you and losing my friends?"

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of friends would they be if they broke off your friendship simply because you're 'dating' their enemy?" he asked mockingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine. I accept your stupid terms. Now are you going to decide yet?"

"Just one more thing before I decide...." He closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her arms and his lips on hers. Sensing the shock she was in from the sudden kiss, he deepened it, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. Still feeling no resistance, he slowly moved a hand down... down... down, to a point between her thighs. He could feel her hitched breathing, and smirked against her mouth, pulling away finally. "I think I may enjoy this.." he said, and walked away.

Hermione, still in a shocked state, didn't register anything until it was almost too late. "Wait! You never answered me!" As she received no answer, she walked back to where she had left her books, and, shivering with shock still, walked down to the Great Hall for lunch.

The rest of the day passed by nauseatingly slowly, until finally it was bedtime. Hermione had finished all of her homework for the next few weeks in an attempt to keep her mind off of Malfoy, but when her usual bedtime was still an hour away, she made up her mind to turn in early. She said her good-night's and smiled as she thought of her warm, cosy bed, where she could forget the events of this day.

Unfortunately, as Hermione pulled her pyjama shorts on, her hand lingered and she was tempted to touch the same place Malfoy had.... Shaking the thought out of her head, she finished getting ready for bed, and settled between the sheets, promptly falling asleep.

* * *

The following day, to Hermione's utter dismay, started with an Arithmancy lesson. Normally, Hermione would be absolutely ecstatic with the thought of intense calculations and challenging work. Not that Hermione found any of it difficult at all, but the fascinating way in which numbers and calculations could be used to foresee the future... Not like Divination at all, as tea leaves couldn't possibly provide insight into what will happen to the drinker of the tea. After all, it's just tea. But numbers and equations corresponded directly with everything in the universe -- why should the future be any different?

But Hermione was dreading this class because, not only would she be separated from her best friends, she would also be in the same class as Malfoy again. Sighing resignedly, she forced herself away from the table at breakfast to head for her lesson. Of course, as 'luck' would have it, as soon as Harry and Ron disappeared from sight, Draco appeared at her side.

"What are you doing tonight, Mudblood?" Hermione made to retort, but Draco continued on to answer his own question. "I'll tell you what you're doing. You're going to meet me in the Prefect's Bathroom at nine o'clock, and we are going to... 'talk'. Any questions? I presume you _are_ still a prefect, and thus _should _know the password.." Hermione gritted her teeth and would have responded, but they had already reached the Arithmancy classroom. She settled for a glare and sat at a desk across the room from him.

The class itself, at least, was interesting. They applied the quadratic formula, used mostly in Muggle maths courses, to their own lives, and were able, by the end of the class period, to determine how their day would be by the end. Hermione, of course, learned that she should be careful later in the day, but to feel secure before then. Just when 'later' was, Hermione wasn't able to figure out, although she was sure it had something to do with Malfoy's plans for her tonight. She had gotten much further in her equations than everyone else had; most students hadn't even gotten past lunchtime. Content, Hermione packed up and left to meet up with her friends.

* * *

The day passed by far too quickly for Hermione, who was still shocked and angry at Malfoy for making her plans for her, and suddenly it was time for her to meet him. She was scheduled to patrol the halls with Draco tonight, anyways, so at least she wouldn't be suspected by her friends... unless they snuck out to try to talk to her....

Shaking her head, she said the password at the door and entered, her heart beating faster than she wanted it to. She knew he'd be able to tell just how scared she was. Scared of his advances, and scared of the possibility of losing her virginity to such a person as him. But not scared of Draco himself. Scared.. of what he could do. Of what she knew he _would_ do.

* * *

A/N: Eh, so it's a bit short. The previous chapter was longer than the first, and this is only slightly shorter than the first, I believe. But I just had to stop here, as it's just such a convenient cliff..... Mwahahaha... Anyhow. Not much sexual-ness, but far more than before, so don't complain. I'm sure my Muses will add more for their nice encounter in the bathroom.

Thanks to all my reviewers... I don't know why you're all still reading this. But as this is my favourite story thus far, I'll not complain. Forgive me for my lateness in writing this, my computer's been out of whack, and when it has been working, I've had to work on web sites and moving and college.... Fun stuff. But here's the chapter, hope you enjoy.


	4. Far Too Predictable

Something to Do With a Bet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

* * *

The day passed by far too quickly for Hermione, who was still shocked and angry at Malfoy for making her plans for her, and suddenly it was time for her to meet him. She was scheduled to patrol the halls with Draco tonight, anyways, so at least she wouldn't be suspected by her friends... unless they snuck out to try to talk to her....

Shaking her head, she said the password at the door and entered, her heart beating faster than she wanted it to. She knew he'd be able to tell just how scared she was. Scared of his advances, and scared of the possibility of losing her virginity to such a person as him. But not scared of Draco himself. Scared.. of what he could do. Of what she knew he would _do._

* * *

Chapter Four: _Far Too Predictable_

"Hello, Mudblood," a smirking Draco greeted Hermione as she entered. He was sitting at the edge of the bathtub with his bare feet dangling in the soapy water, and it looked as if he had just finished bathing. She glared at him, but he just grinned and ran a hand through his wet hair. A strand of it fell into his eyes and he brushed it away.

"What do you want?" she asked, irritated, after realizing that glaring wouldn't make him talk.

"You know what I want." He said this lazily, as if he knew she wouldn't accept that answer.

"No, I _don't_ know what you want. You never told me your decision!"

Malfoy answered her outburst with a smirk. "Oh yes, that's right. Ah, well. For now, let's just pretend that I snogged you senseless, thereby making you fall madly and deeply in love with me, so I could conveniently shag you and win the bet." He noticed her glare and shrugged, "Or I could just fuck you here and now. I'd rather not have to resort to such a vile thing, however."

Hermione's glare darkened murderously at the implication of rape. "Fine. I'll bloody pretend to be in love with you. But I will castrate you if you rape me, or even attempt to. I'll --"

Draco interrupted her speech, a disinterested look on his face as he examined his too-perfect fingernails. "Spare me the threats, they're pointless. I have no intention of raping you, that's daddy's department. Now, shall we discuss plans to make this believable, or should I just revert back to the original plan of mine?"

Hermione grumbled, suddenly wishing she had just refused the makeover and told Ron to deal with the consequences on his own. But.. She supposed it wasn't so bad, being beautiful. At least she could look in the mirror without cringing at her reflection. Sighing, she shook her head. "What do you suggest we do?"

* * *

"Shhh, Ron, you're walking too loud!" Harry hissed under the invisibility cloak.

"Am not, you are!"

"What?! No! Ugh.. Filch is just down that hall, let's hurry. Mrs. Norris is bound to hear you." The boys hurried past the adjacent hallway, turned at the next, and stopped at the entrance to the Prefect Bathroom. Harry put his ear to the door, then whispered to Ron, "I don't hear anything, should we go in?"

"What would we say?" Ron asked.

"Uhm... We say that Crookshanks ran away?"

"Would she believe that?"

Harry shrugged. "Let's find out, shall we?" He pulled off the invisibility cloak as Ron whispered the password, and both of them gaped in shock as the door opened to reveal Hermione and Draco, kissing.

Draco was standing in front of Hermione, one hand caressing her cheek, the other planted in the small of her back. As for Hermione... One hand was placed on Malfoy's chest, and the other was tangled in his wet hair. As Ron and Harry watched, too stunned to speak or move, Draco's hand trailed downward...

Harry, knowing how explosive Ron could get, quickly closed the door, causing Hermione to jump and move quickly away from Draco. "What was that?" she asked, looking around for the cause of the sound.

Malfoy smirked. "The first step in the plan. Your friends are _far_ too predictable."

Hermione glanced towards the door, then looked fearfully at Draco. "You.. The kiss wasn't for practice, was it? You _knew_ my friends would come find me." Without waiting for a reply, Hermione turned and walked toward the door, but Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her against him.

"Don't," he said simply. Hermione glared at him and slapped him with her free hand. In shock, he let go of her, and she ran out the door. Draco rolled his eyes and ran after her, catching up quickly. He grabbed her and held her against the wall, making sure that both of her arms were restrained.

"Listen to me, Granger. Come up with a story, and tell them that you're in love with me. If you try to tell them the truth, they'll realize that you betrayed them. After all, you _are_ consorting with the enemy," he explained with a smirk. She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it when realisation dawned on her. Guilt and fear and regret all entered her eyes at once, and Draco released his hold on her and walked away.

As Malfoy turned the corner, Hermione slid down the wall to sit on the cold floor, and let the tears flow. She hadn't thought of what she was doing as a _betrayal_, but she couldn't deny it now. She _was_ betraying her best friends, and there was nothing she could do but keep going on her path, and hope they never find out...

She sat like that for about ten minutes before a hand was placed comfortingly on her back. She looked up into Harry's emerald-green eyes and smiled weakly. Her mind raced as she came up with a story, but her face never showed the panic, the fear.

"Hey," Harry whispered as he sat down next to her.

"Hi. It... wasn't what it looked like back there.. Or, at least, I don't think it was... I just.." She sighed and leaned her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm in love with him, Harry." She could sense his frown, but got no reply, so she began the story she came up with to explain. "Remember in fourth year, the Yule Ball? Well, I was in the Library one night, a few days after the Ball, and Draco found me there and... He complimented me, without the insults he usually throws. About a month later, he owled me asking for help with Arithmancy. I conceded, and we began meeting whenever I could sneak off..."

Forcing a blush (not that Harry would have seen anyhow) and an embarrassed tone in her voice, she continued, "And one day right before summer, he.. He kissed me." She just barely kept herself from gagging at the fluffiness of the story she was telling. And to be telling a fluffy story to her best friend, with Malfoy in it, made it all the worse. She was thankful that Harry had stayed silent; she could tell that he had forgiven her already.. Well, if he knew the real truth, he wouldn't be so forgiving. But she was too deep in, now. Someday it would all blow over. She'd still have her virginity intact, Harry would still be her closest friend, and Ron would get over being Malfoy's personal slave for a week.

"After the kiss, we avoided each other like the Plague. But when we both became Prefects, we couldn't ignore each other. I'm sure Ron noticed the tension between me and Draco during meetings last year. I assumed that he hated me still, and I got over it. Apparently it was the opposite for him.. He couldn't get over it, no matter how close or far from me he was, and no matter who he dated. He assumed it to just be sexual frustration, and wanting someone who's 'unattainable'. So he made the bet with Ron. But halfway through the summer, he realized that he really truly liked me... We exchanged owls every day until school started. Then he wrote a note that he slipped to me on the train when I found out about the bet. He apologized, and explained exactly why he did it. Then we met up tonight and... I realized that I'm in love with him."

Harry was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. "Well, I guess the question now is: how do we tell Ron?"

* * *

A/N: I goofed. Bah. I never established what year this takes place in. I wrote a few things as if it were 7th year, and a few as if she were in 6th. But, as most of it was written with 6th year in mind, I changed the 7th year stuff. Lol. Pologies if that confused you.

Also, for anyone who thinks Hermione should have told the truth.. Have any of you ever done anything incredibly stupid and thought that if you came clean you would lose someone's trust? Sometimes people think of that before thinking of what would happen when they found out at the end. Lol. It happens. My first time getting a speeding ticket was for 23 over, and I was sooo scared to tell my parents, cause I thought they'd take away my car or something. Well, I paid for the ticket, sent it off in the mail, whatever. Couple months later, my parents get a letter saying I never paid for the ticket. Hah. Damn post office... Parents were disappointed, not just cause I got a ticket, but cause I didn't tell them. Silly me. But considering Ron... The less he knows, the better. ;)


	5. In Love with a Ferret

**Something to Do With a Bet**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

* * *

"_After the kiss, we avoided each other like the Plague. But when we both became Prefects, we couldn't ignore each other. I'm sure Ron noticed the tension between me and Draco during meetings last year. I assumed that he hated me still, and I got over it. Apparently it was the opposite for him... He couldn't get over it, no matter how close or far from me he was, and no matter who he dated. He assumed it to just be sexual frustration, and wanting someone who's 'unattainable'. So he made the bet with Ron. But halfway through the summer, he realized that he really truly liked me... We exchanged owls every day until school started. Then he wrote a note that he slipped to me on the train when I found out about the bet. He apologized, and explained exactly why he did it. Then we met up tonight and... I realized that I'm in love with him."_

_Harry was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. "Well, I guess the question now is: how do we tell Ron?"

* * *

_

Chapter Five: _In Love with a Ferret_

"You're in _LOVE_ with that _ferret?_!"

Hermione winced. Really, had she truly been in love with Draco, she would have slapped Ron for so openly insulting him. Instead, she settled on a look of pain as her eyes filled with tears. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Of COURSE I don't understand! He's been calling you 'mudblood' for _years_! He's been hexing you, taunting you, not to mention what he does and says to me and Harry!" shouted Ron.

"That's all in the past, though. You have to understand, Ron. Draco grew up on propaganda, lies, twisted definitions. He just thought that was how things were supposed to be. It's likeit's like when I lived as a muggle. I grew up _knowing_ that magic wasn't real. I _knew_ that witches and wizards, real ones, didn't exist. I _knew_ unicorns were myths, and broomsticks were only used for sweeping. Well, Draco grew up _knowing_ that muggles were subhuman. Perspectives _can_ change over time and experiences, you know." Hermione had been shouting, and by the end her voice was raw with emotion.

Ginny, who had joined them after hearing her brother's shout of outrage only a few minutes earlier, had also cast a silencing spell on the room so their housemates wouldn't hear the fight and come watch. Now she was frowning in contemplation, staring into Hermione's eyes. Hermione met the girl's gaze and saw her widen her eyes suddenly. She read the silent question in Ginny's eyes and pointedly glanced toward the girls' dormitories. The younger girl nodded in understanding.

"But this is _Malfoy_ we're talking about! Ferret Bastard Extraordinaire! He can't just change over one summer!" protested Ron, not noticing Hermione's silent exchange with his sister.

"It wasn't _one summer_, and _please_, could you refrain from insulting him to my face?"

The fight continued a few minutes longer, and Hermione was long past tears by then, however fake they had been in the first place. Finally, Harry stepped in. "Ron, can't you just be happy for Hermione? She's in love; we don't have to like Malfoy, but we should at the very least respect her judgement of him. Besides," he continued, a humorous glint in his eyes, "if he hurts her, we can beat him to a pulp."

Ron glared at Harry. "Traitor," he muttered, then turned back to Hermione. "You just don't want me to win; that's it, isn't it? Or you actually _want_ to have sex with the _ferret_." Hermione gasped with indignation and started to reply, but was interrupted by Harry.

"Ron! How could you think that about Hermione? Can't you see how much pain she's been going through? Finding out that you participated in making a bet that basically implied that she was ugly, which isn't true; going along with the silly bet, despite her previous feelings for Malfoy; and now you yelling at her. Can't you just support her, or at least try?"

Ron, to his credit, looked rather embarrassed. He looked down, frowning, and muttered almost too quietly for Hermione to hear, "And can't you see how much pain _I'm_ in?" He sighed and said louder, "Sorry, Hermione. It all just seems... Well... I don't trust Malfoy, but I can pretend for now, I suppose."

Hermione grinned through her tears and rushed forward to hug her friend. "Thank you, Ron." He tentatively patted her back, then waited as she hugged Harry and rushed off to her dorm.

"So... That went.. well..." Harry began hesitantly.

Ron glared at Harry again. "You know that I'm in love with her. You've known since fourth year! How could you let this happen?"

"Ron, I-"

"You could have talked her out of liking him! You could have told her... You could have tried to get her to like me! You could have-"

"RON!" Harry shouted, silencing his friend. He took a deep breath and continued. "Ron, you know very well that I could never have forced her to like you, or stop liking Draco, if that's what she wants. She's told me before that she prefers you as a friend, anyhow, and you know how stubborn she is. If she likes someone, nothing we say can stop her liking him. Remember Krum? We thought he was evil, but she liked him anyways."

Ron sighed. "I know... It's just that.. Well, it hurts. It- I-" Ron choked, tears starting to flow down his red cheeks, and Harry went to hug his best friend.

"Ron, it'll be okay. Hermione's never done anything stupid; you know how well she thinks things over before doing anything. She has a good reason for liking Malfoy, and we'll probably see one day just how good her judgement is." Ron nodded into Harry's shoulder, but it didn't stop his heartbroken tears from pouring out.

* * *

Hermione walked into her dorm room with a deep breath, and bit her lip as she saw Ginny glaring at her from a nearby bed. Quietly charming the space between her and Ginny with a Silencing charm, she started, "Gin- I can explain-" 

"Hermione, I love you as a sister, you know that. But to go and lie to your best friends like that? That just makes me reconsider our friendship; it makes me wonder if you've ever lied outright to me before, and if you'll do it again. Now, please, continue with your explanation, and know that I can see through your lies, so no bullshite."

Hermione hesitated, then sat down on her bed across from Ginny. "Alright."

* * *

A/N: Awww, poor Ron... Heh. Too bad they don't know the truth. And poor Hermie had to tell Ginny everything! Eh, she'll be fine eventually. So sorry bout the long wait and the unfulfilling chapter, but I've been busy. Work and college and friends and greek life and more college... My mind doesn't like to stay in one place ever. But here's another chapter, and I should get around to more writing this summer. Or finals week, which will rock til that Thursday. Bleh. Also, I would like to expressthe 'joy' that has filled my soul ever since FFnet decided to use a stupid program to edit stories in our document managers. I can't ever work with it, and it was much better when I could actually do my own HTML knowing it would keep my dashes and such in it. Bah. So if you see weird words such as 'ItI', it's supposed to have dashes between them, but QuickEdit hates me. 


	6. The Plan

**Something to Do With a Bet**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

Oh, and this chapter has a bit more of the erotic stuff that I'm horrible at. Please don't hate me. And of course, this story is now AU as book 6 has come out and we've all read it for the most part, so ignore any and all discrepancies.

* * *

_Hermione walked into her dorm room with a deep breath, and bit her lip as she saw Ginny glaring at her from a nearby bed. Quietly charming the space between her and Ginny with a Silencing charm, she started, "Gin- I can explain-"_

"_Hermione, I love you as a sister, you know that. But to go and lie to your best friends like that? That just makes me reconsider our friendship; it makes me wonder if you've ever lied outright to me before, and if you'll do it again. Now, please, continue with your explanation, and know that I can see through your lies, so no bullshit."_

* * *

Chapter Six:_ The Plan_

Hermione hesitated, then sat down on her bed across from Ginny. "Alright. But you can't tell Ron or Harry, or anyone else for that matter. It didn't start out like this, and I honestly didn't realize it would be carried this far. But basically, it all started because I didn't like Ron putting me in the middle of a bet like this." Sighing, she related the whole story to Ginny, leaving out her enjoyment of the kisses Draco'd given her.

By the time she finished her story, tears were streaming down her face. "I've just completely lost control. Correction: I don't think I _ever_ had any control in this situation. Gin, I just... I don't know what to do anymore..."

Ginny frowned and moved forward to hug her friend. "Oh Herm... You should have told me sooner; we could have put Malfoy in his place at the beginning. But now that I do know, we can come up with a plan."

"Really? You... You're not mad at me?"

"I'm disappointed that you wanted to keep all the fun for yourself," Ginny mock-glared at Hermione. "Now, I think I have a plan..."

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, it seemed as if nothing had changed at Hogwarts. Everyone sat in basically the same spots as usual, except for the few who usually skipped breakfast in favour of sleeping. The mail was dispersed, and even the Daily Prophet was predictable that morning. What Hermione hadn't expected, however, was the absence of Draco Malfoy. She had been prepared, ready to play the part of the loving girlfriend now that their 'relationship' was known to her best friends. She had been ready to embarrass him as much as possible by thinking up 'cute' nicknames and romantic things he had supposedly done and said.

But he never showed up.

Malfoy _never_ missed breakfast. And he most definitely wouldn't miss breakfast when he could rub their new 'relationship' in her friends' faces. She sighed, wondering if she should play the part of 'lonely girlfriend', or go look for the git. Fortunately, Ron unwittingly aided her in her decision.

"Herm... about the bet..."

Hermione's head snapped up. She'd completely forgotten- now that Ron thought Draco had given up on the bet, he would think that he wouldn't have to fulfill his end of the agreement. Draco, she knew, would never give that up; but he would have to keep up pretenses of being in love with her...

"I don't want to talk about it," she declared, standing up quickly and leaving the Great Hall.

Ron frowned and turned to Harry. "I was just going to tell her that me and Malfoy can cancel the bet and she can go back to normal..."

* * *

"Granger," called a voice from behind her as she was walking to the library.

Hermione turned around. "Malfoy," she replied formally. He began walking toward her, a smirk on his face. She stiffened, her pulse racing and her blood pounding in her ears. Phase one- well, phase two, technically- of The Plan was commencing, and the success of it depended completely on him.

He closed the gap between them- _step one_- and lifted a hand to cup her cheek- _step two_. Smirk still in place, he bent to claim her lips once more- _step three_. His other hand moved beneath her shirt- _step fou- no, that shouldn't happen-_ and moved to the middle of her back- _oh, Merlin. _Her breath hitched as she realised what his next move would be. She could feel another smirk form on Draco's lips, at the same that she felt her bra being unclasped.

She knew she should end the kiss, tell him to stop, move away from him... But her mind had become numb with the addition of his tongue. She was vaguely aware of his hand gently moving her backwards, but the mouth on hers began to descend to her neck, and she gasped, all previous thoughts evaporating. Still glued together, Draco led her backwards. She heard him fumbling with something, and then realised he had swung open a door to what she remembered to be an un-used classroom.

Lost in sensation, Hermione found herself egging him on with pleasurable groans as he bit playfully at her throat, leaving tiny red marks where his teeth had grazed. She heard a distant bang as Draco slammed the door shut with his foot, but didn't think much of it. Nor did she think much of the desk she found herself sitting up on, or the crinkle of old parchment underneath her.

Draco's lips made their way back up her neck to her mouth, and he began to unbutton her shirt. Slowly, one by one, the buttons slipped free of the restrictive polyester, revealing more of the loose bra as he proceeded. Hermione's hand unconsciously reached out to grab at his hair, anticipation building within her as his hands moved gracefully to undo each button, fingers brushing her bare skin as they moved down to the next.

When Draco finished, he pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath. For a moment, the two just looked into each other's eyes; Hermione's confused, soft brown staring into Draco's lust-filled grey ones. The moment was broken when Draco put on his trademark smirk and dipped his head to lick a trail from the curve of her breast to her belly-button, making her gasp.

She knew that this was going to lead to a place that she'd rather not visit, but she found that she couldn't speak. This may have been due to the extraordinary lust that Draco filled her with, but it may also have been due to the fact that a cold hand had found its way under her skirt. Slowly, as Draco continued to flick his tongue in and out of her navel, she felt the cold hand creep beneath her already wet knickers.

Draco managed to tear his tongue from navel, his mind concentrating on working back upwards. The fingers of the hand down her skirt were working skilfully, making her groan not-so-softly, her hands clutching at him for something to hold onto. His free hand moved a bra cup out of the way, and his wandering tongue quickly attacked her exposed nipple. His teeth nipped playfully at her nipple, and she gasped in surprise.

Unfortunately, fate chose that moment to make sure that someone heard that gasp. The door shot open, and Draco jumped back from Hermione, who was still a bit breathless and dazed. She squirmed a bit, wishing she had at least orgasmed before the interruption; she was disgusted to realise that she was more turned on than ever, and the feeling of shame conflicted greatly with the thrill at getting caught.

"Professor!" said Draco in a panic-stricken voice, staring at the man with horror. "I- we were just-– it wasn't-–"

"I heard noises. _Inappropriate_ noises," Snape added in a low, deadly voice that sent a chill up Hermione's spine. A chill that she wasn't entirely sure was out of fear...

"Detention. Both of you. My office, after lunch. And Miss Granger, I suggest you try to keep your clothing _on_."

* * *

A/N: Mwahahaha. I feel evil. Despite the obvious cliché-ness of it, of course. Hope you all enjoyed the er... R-rated semi-smut. I had a friend write me up some smut specifically for this, and of course, I had to rewrite most of it to fit with my thoughts of the characters and all, but I wouldn't have gotten it done otherwise. I am absolutely horrid at this. I apologize profusely for the wait. I heart you all. :)


	7. Lab Rats

**Something to Do With a Bet**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

Also, still AU, and I apologize in advance to the HG/SS fans out there. It's not going to happen.

* * *

"_Professor!" said Draco in a panic-stricken voice, staring at the man with horror. "I- we were just-– it wasn't-–"_

"_I heard noises. _Inappropriate_ noises," Snape added in a low, deadly voice that sent a chill up Hermione's spine. A chill that she wasn't entirely sure was out of fear..._

"_Detention. Both of you. My office, after lunch. And Miss Granger, I suggest you try to keep your clothing _on_."_

* * *

Chapter Seven: _Lab Rats_

"You got caught? By _Snape_?" Even though they were shielded by a silencing charm, Ginny couldn't help but wonder if they had been speaking too loudly in the over-crowded Hall.

Hermione blushed and stared down at her half-empty plate. "What if he tells Dumbledore? Or my parents? What if he gets me expelled and I have to go back to muggle life pretending these past six years never happened? I couldn't bear not being able to use my magic!"

"Don't overthink it and you'll be fine. He wouldn't tell Dumbledore about it, Malfoy's reputation is at stake here too." Ginny paused as a thought came into her head. "Hmm… He might have a few wet dreams about it, but that's it. Probably."

"Oh, right, because it's perfectly fine for a professor to whack off to the image of a half-naked student. He could imagine me naked _in class_ if he wanted to. How is that a good thing?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I never said it was a good thing, it's just better than the alternative. Besides, as long as he doesn't act on his lust, you should take it as a compliment."

"Exactly. 'As long as he doesn't act on it.' But, Ginny, it's well within his powers to blackmail me at any time. I just hope he's as good a person as Dumbledore thinks he is." She sighed, knowing full well that, in the state she'd been in that morning, she would have let the professor join in without hesitation. A shudder ran through her and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Well, I should go now. I can't eat another bite, and I don't want to be late for detention when my academic life is on the line."

* * *

Hermione sat with bated breath as Snape finished correcting the twelfth paper since she had come in. Draco had come in shortly after her, and the professor hadn't yet acknowledged either of them. She stole a glance at Malfoy, and was quite surprised to see how rigid the boy was in his seat. It was comforting to know that he was as scared as she was.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione almost jumped at the sound of her name, and turned to face him. "Yes, Professor?" she asked, after a long pause.

"Why, exactly, are you here?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off the papers he was correcting.

Hermione frowned, confused. "Sir? I'm here because you to—"

"Miss Granger, I know why you are here. What I want is for you to tell me _how_ it happened, and _why_." With that, Snape laid down his quill and folded his hands on top of the desk. The effect left Hermione unable to speak for several moments. "Well?" he prompted.

Taking a deep breath, she looked the man straight in the eyes. "To put it simply, sir, I am here because I found myself _insanely_ attracted to Draco this morning, and could not keep my hands off him."

Snape quirked an eyebrow at Hermione, then turned his gaze upon Malfoy. "What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Well, I _am_ stunningly handsome," Draco conceded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Yes, well, as much as I'd love to sit and chat, you two are here as a punishment. Normally, I would have you clean the classroom or the cauldrons, but as I just had almost a whole third year class in detention last night, I'm afraid I have nothing for you to clean. However," he added, before either of them could breathe a sigh of relief, "I am working on a potion that would be nearly impossible for me to test on myself. At the moment, it is entirely reversible, and I will give you a low dosage in case there are any unpleasant side-effects."

As Hermione and Draco stared in shock, the professor brought two tiny bottles and set them on their desks. "But- Professor-" began Hermione, looking down at the potion in front of her.

"Miss Granger, this experiment is entirely optional, I assure you," Snape interrupted with a smirk. "If you would rather have detention with Professor McGonagall, I'm sure she'd love to hear the story of why I gave you detention in the first place."

Hermione shook her head, "I was just going to say that I'm allergic to tree nuts, and I haven't taken my Epi-Potion yet for this week." She had to admit, testing out a new potion sounded exciting, even though it was meant as punishment. She just had to hope that Snape would have extra potions in his office.

The professor waved a hand and a tiny vial of Epi-Potion appeared next to Hermione's test potion, and she quickly downed the medication before uncorking the bottle. She looked up into Snape's stormy eyes before picking the bottle up and carefully smelling the concoction. "I suppose you're not going to tell us what the potion does."

The professor smiled, an odd look in his eyes. "You suppose correctly."

* * *

Hermione frowned as she made her way to the Library. She had sat in Snape's office for well over an hour, whereas Draco had left within ten minutes of taking the potion. Of course, he could have had a more averse reaction to the potion than she had, and he could have gone to the nurse, but it seemed a lot more likely that he had just feigned illness to get out of detention.

She still had no clue what the potion was supposed to do, and she could only assume it wasn't meant to cause nausea and blackouts; however, Professor Snape _had_ looked fairly pleased with himself when he sent her away.

"Granger!" a familiar voice shouted from a few feet behind her. She stopped and turned around. "Merlin's beard, Granger, do you not listen when people are talking to you?"

"Sorry, I must have been tuning out annoying voices," Hermione replied with an innocent smile, before turning back around to walk to the Library.

"That explains why you didn't stop and chat with your Weasel friend, then," Draco smirked, walking along beside her. His arm rubbed up against hers as they walked, and although Hermione knew it was deliberate, she still found it hard to think up a retort. She _hadn't_ stopped to talk to Ginny, but they had shared a conspiratorial wink; next stage would be coming up soon, after all.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so, I owe you all a very big apology for not posting in a long time… I'm only working one job right now, which means tons of free time and hardly any money, which is why I'm able to write again. I need another job, so I'll write as much as I can before I get the second job.


End file.
